Corner for conveyers for newspapers and the like.



E. M. SNOW.

CORNER FOR CONVEYERS FOR NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30 I9I5 Patented J an. 29, 1918.

@Ulf/765,565.

@ttor/zeg.

` UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN 1I. SNOW, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSONCOMPANY, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION-OF NEW JERSEY.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1918.

Application led March 30, 1915. Serial No. 18,131.

To all lwhom. t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN M. SNOW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorners for Conveyers for Newspapers and the like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to belt conveyers, and the like, and has for oneof its principal objects the provision of improved means in devices ofthis character, for eifecting the translation of articles, such asnewspapers, around what are known in the art as corners.

Another object of the present invention has been to provide a carryingsurface in an arcuately curved conveyer, which shall be substantiallyunbroken.

These and other objects of my invention will be hereinafter referred toand the novel combinations of elements and means whereby said objectsmay be attained, will 'be more particularly set forth in the claimsappended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereofv and in which likereference characters designate like parts throughout the several Views,I have exemplified a preferred construction; but as I am aware ofvarious changes and modifications which may be made herein, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, I desire to be limited onlyby the scope of said claims.

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 is a plan of my improved conveyercorner.

Fig. 2 is a detailed section taken on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of a part of a chain hereinafterreferred to.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line V-V of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan of a belt conveyer provided with theimproved corner shown in Fig. 1.

The conveyer leading to the corner, if such a conveyer be used, may beof any suitable description, and in the present exemplifi- Y cation ofmy invention I have illustrated the said conveyer as one. comprising aplurality of strands or small belts l which travel around or uponpulleys 2; the latter being mounted upon shafts 3, journaled in bearings4:, mounted upon a frame the side-supports or angle-irons of which havebeen designated 5.

As shown in Fig. 1, a series of receiving belts 6, may extendsubstantially at right angles to the belts designated l; the belts 6being correspondingly mounted upon pullfeys 2, fixedly mounted uponshafts 3, as beore.

In order to deliver articles, such as newspapers or the like, from thebelts 1 to the belts 6, I prefer to provide a belt conveyer of ratherpeculiar construction. The belt of this conveyer, designated 7 may bemade of canvas or other suitable material; but while the belt is anendless one, it has not straight sides in the known fashion, but ratherare its edges arcuate, the one being concentric to the other.

This arcuate belt 7 rides upon a series of rollers 8-8; those designated8 being carried by shafts 9, journaled in bearings 10 upstanding fromthe curved portions the side-supports 5. The rollers 8 support theupper-side of the belt while those designated 8 similarly support theunder or return-side of said belt. Rollers 8 may be mounted upon shafts9', journaled in brackets 10', carried upon the inner or vertical sidesof the angle-irons.

All of the rolls 8 8', are preferably tapered or coned as shown, sinceit is obvious that the inner edge of the belt 7 will travel at a lessrate of speed than will its outer edge; and in addition to thus taperingthese rolls toward what may be termed the center of the corner, orcenter of the concentric edges of the belt, the rolls or rollers arealso grooved as at 11 for the reception of a suitable beading 12. Forthis latter I prefer to use a form of silent chain which may bepurchased in the open market, and to which I lay no claim aside from thecombination thereof with certain other elements of my construction. Asshown in Figs. 3 and 4 y retain in this chain may comprise links 12aunited by pins 12b to intermediate or alternate links 12. These latterelements are built up of interlocking parts adapted to support and placesaddle-like pieces of fabric 12l which bear against the walls of thegroove 1l and thereby retain the arcuate belt 7 in position upon itsroll. The belt 7 may be secured to the silent chain, or the equivalentthereof, in any known manner; but l refer to use said chain and toattach its lin s 12c to said belt by rivets or the like; spacing pads 7abeing inserted at the points of attachment to facilitate the Hexing ofthe links around the corner end-rolls.

llt will be observed that the outer bearings 10 are disposed at asomewhat lower level than are the corresponding inner-bear1ngs, whichcauses the shafts 9, to di downwardly as they extend outwardly from thecenter above referred to; this provision be- -ing madel so as to permitof the carr ing surface of the belt riding, if desire in the horizontalplane. Indeed this up-canting' of the axes of rotation of the rollerstoward the inner ends thereof is essential` when it is desired to avoiddishing of the carrying surface.

The belts 1 and 6 are assumed to be driven at substantially the samespeed and I prefer to drive the belt 7 also at this same speed bymounting sprocket wheels 13 upon the respective outer extremities oftheshafts 9 which carry the said end-rolls, upon opposite sides of thecorner, around which the belt 7 makes its 180 turns. Correspondinglysimilar sprggkets 13 are .mounted upon the outer extremities of therespective shafts 3 which are nearest to the said shafts 9; and thesesprocket wheels lare connected to those aforesaid, in pairs, by chains14.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Articles to be translated around the corner will be carried thereto bythe belts 1 and will pass over the apron 15 disposed between thedelivering belts 1 and the arcuate or corner belt 7. As the apron 15 isquite narrow, being-slotted to receive the pulleys 2, such articles asnewspapers will come into operative engagement with the belt 7 beforethey cease to contact with the belts 1. rllhereafter these articles willbe smoothly and evenly carried around the corner by the arcuate beltuntil they pass over the apron 15 onto the belts 6 which may carry them,if desired, to the points of delivery.

It will be understood, of course, that the chain or other device used tolform the bead upon the arcuate belt which rides in the grooves 11, isadapted to not only bend around the end-rolls but to also yield or iexlaterally suiiciently to accommodate the arcuate travel of the belt inthe horizontal plane.

lin general, so far as il am aware, in arcunaeaeei ately travelingconveyers, of which none seem to have been adapted to the conveyance ofnewspapers or the like,-there has never been an attempt to provideintermediate tapered rollers, between the end rollers,where by toproperly support the carrying surface; two tapered rollers havingheretofore apparently been the greatest number embodied in an arcuatelytraveling conveyer. The novel side-slip preventing rib, or theequivalent vand presenting a carrying surface the inner and outer edgesof which are arced, grooved means for supporting said carrying surface,and a laterally flexible, extended bead upon said belt for engaging saidgrooved means to hold said belt against lateral displacement, said beadprojecting from said belt a disltarlice at least twice the thickness ofsaid 2. A conveyer comprising a belt having upper and lower sides whichtravel in opposite directions and presenting a carrying surface theinner and outer edges of which are arced, grooved means for supportingsaid carrying surface, and a linked bead upon said belt for engagingsaid grooved means to hold said belt against lateral displacement.

3. An arcuate conveyer comprising a belt offabric, flexible in alldirections and having upper and lower sides which travel in oppo` sitedirections and presenting a carrying surface the inner and outer edgesof which are arced, recessed means for supporting said car ing surface,`and means upon a surface o said belt other than the carrying surfacethereof for engaging said recessed means to hold said belt a ainstlateral displacement with respect to its normal arcuate line of travel.

v 4. An arcuate conveyer comprising a belt of fabric, exible in alldirections and having upper and lower sides which travel in oppositedirections and presenting a carrying surface the inner and outer edgesof which are arced, rotatable recessed means for supporting saidcarrying surface, and means upon a surface of said belt other than the Aouter edges of which are arced, recessed belt tially unimpaired theflexibility thereof in guiding means, and projections on said belt al1directions, as aforesaid. 1o to enter said recessed belt guiding meansand l In testimony whereof I have affixed my co-acting therewith to holdsaid belt against signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

,5 lateral displacement with respect to its nor- EDWIN M. SNOW.

mal arcuate line of travel, said projections Witnesses: being sodisposed with respect to the carry- THOMAS H. WARD,

ing surface of the belt as to leave substan- J. E. SEARLE.

